Catch Me When I Fall
by Raijin Ryuu
Summary: Kurt is about to begin his first performance with the Cirque Du Soleil.  Ten minutes to go, and he needs to calm his nerves quickly.  Lucky for Kurt, Blaine is there to calm his pre-performance jitters!  Circus!Klaine Oneshot


**I've read a few Circus!Klaine fics, but there aren't nearly enough of them. So I decided to take manners into my own hands. I present to you my premier fanfic, Catch Me When I Fall.**

**I do not own Glee, or any of the characters, but I plan on one day owning Chris Colfer. I regret nothing.**

**Also, I do not own Cirque Du Soleil.**

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><p>Kurt walked into the practice tent, dressed in full costume. He glanced nervously at the oddly-dressed performers standing around him. Everybody seemed so calm and collected. They had performed this show countless times over the years. Kurt, on the other hand, had not received the okay to perform until last week. Cirque du Soleil had a reputation of only hiring the absolute best of the best, so Kurt had been surprised when a scouting agent called him and asked him to attend auditions in Montreal. Kurt felt his body tense up. Six months of intense training at the Cirque du Soleil headquarters had not even begun to prepare him for the rush of nervous energy that flooded through his veins. Everybody had told him that nothing compared to the adrenaline rush that came with the very first performance. At that moment, Kurt would have argued that the nerves that came before ran a pretty close race.<p>

A voice came over the speaker system. "Ten minutes to act one."

Kurt wandered slowly to the dance floor set up in a remote corner and looked in the wall-length mirror at the stranger standing before him. He sported a tight-fitting orange and red jacket with ragged half-sleeves and a frayed bottom. He wore the jacket unbuttoned so that his pale, toned chest was completely visible. His hair remained hidden under a wig cap. The wig that he wore in its stead was fastened to his head with a plethora of bobby pins. Orange, red, and styled to perfection. Kurt also wore a pair of orange tights, decorated with red swirls that climbed up his thighs. His shoes matched the tights perfectly, an aesthetically pleasing blend of orange and red decorating his feet. His face was hidden underneath layers and layers of makeup designed to mimic the flow of his outfit. This unfamiliar being that looked back at him seemed as if it were from another world. Strange and fantastic. Definitely not Kurt's preferred Alexander McQueen.

Kurt closed his eyes. _Breathe in through the nose, out through the mouth. Just like Will taught you back in Montreal. _Slowly, his balled fists loosened until his fingers hung limply by his side. His mind completely empty, he let himself become filled with his character. His face ran the emotional gauntlet, testing his new, intricate features that had taken two hours to paint on. He stretched his limbs, testing the flexibility. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see other performers doing the same. A man dressed in a lycra unitard climbed onto the trampoline situated in the corner of the practice tent and started running through tricks. Two blue women on the opposite side of the tent were passing clubs. Kurt felt overwhelmed by the talent in this tent alone. He could only dream of possessing the skills that some of the other performers exhibited so effortlessly.

A pair of arms grabbed him from behind. Kurt wormed around to see his mentor for the past three-month integration period. He wore a black unitard, complimented with spiked red gauntlets and leggings, a red and black feathered headdress that curved upward and backwards, and a bright smile plastered over his decorated face. "Are you ready to face the world?"

Kurt squirmed in his mentor's tight embrace. "Blaine, let go! You're crushing me! Besides, Mercedes would kill you if you damaged my costume before I even set foot on stage."

Blaine laughed. "Kurt, this is Cirque du Soleil. These costumes are designed to withstand Hurricane Katrina. Do you think a hug is going to do much damage?"

"Just shut up and let me breathe."

Blaine loosened his grip on Kurt. "Remember what I told you. Hand-to-hand is insanely difficult to perform and puts a shitload of stress on the body. Don't let anything distract you from performing your task. Not even me."

Kurt looked into Blaine's eyes. Emma Pillsbury, the makeup designer in Montreal, was a genius. Blaine's makeup, while impressive from a distance, was nothing short of stunning up close. The intricate lines drew the viewer to Blaine's eyes. Blaine's wonderfully gorgeous, utterly perfect eyes. The makeup even went so far as to hide those garish triangle eyebrows, which weren't all that bad, but seriously - somebody needed to introduce Blaine to tweezing. Eyebrows aside, Blaine's eyes provided distraction enough. It was truly unfortunate that Blaine would be acting as Kurt's spotter for the duration of Kurt's stay.

Kurt tore himself away from Blaine's eyes. "I remember. Balance and counterbalance, fluid movement, no distractions."

Blaine pulled away from Kurt and held him at arm's length. "You look wonderful. Are you ready for tonight?"

Kurt nodded. "I'm so nervous, but I guess that's normal. You were probably nervous on your first day as well."

Blaine nodded. "Just keep your focus and you'll do fine. This is your big night. Don't let anything get to you. Courage."

Kurt smiled. "Thank you so much. For everything."

He turned to leave for the backstage area, but Blaine grabbed his wrist, turning him back around. "Be careful," Kurt's mentor said. "These past three months working with you have been, well, magical. I couldn't bear to see you get hurt out there because of some stupid mistake."

Kurt pulled Blaine close and leaned in, placing a gentle kiss on his mentor's painted lips. "I guess I'm lucky, then, that you'll be there to catch me if I fall."

Blaine smiled. "I'll never let you fall."

Kurt kissed Blaine again, and in that moment, all time seemed to slow to a stop. Nothing registered in Kurt's mind except for the feel of Blaine's lips moving against his. Tenderness gave way to soft passion, which gave way to love. The nervous energy running through Kurt's veins gave way to a soft warmth that spread slowly throughout his body. The fear of falling, the fear of failing, the fear of not being good enough slowly faded into nothing. Nothing mattered to Kurt except Blaine, and the bond that they had forged between them.

The speaker system blared: "Places for act one_._"

Kurt pulled away reluctantly. "It's time."

Blaine smiled as he pressed his lips against Kurt's for one last kiss. "Make me proud tonight."

Kurt nodded. He turned to leave the practice tent, thankful that his makeup was coated thick enough to hide his red cheeks. _I won't disappoint you, Blaine._


End file.
